Using Nikon 40mm lens for 35mm full frame

oxcanary · Feb 25, 2023

Dear all,
Would welcome some advice. I have acquired a Nikon 40mm enlarging lens. So far I have used it to print half frame. Is there anything to bear in mind if using it as a 35mm wide angle for printing larger from 35mm full frame.

thanks

ic-racer · Feb 25, 2023

According to this brochure it is a wide angle lens for 35mm format enlargements:

Paul Howell · Feb 25, 2023

If you use it with a 35mm negative does it show any cutoff in the corner's wide open?

Ian C · Feb 25, 2023

Mine has given me excellent results in 35 mm enlarging. It is rated for 5X to 30X. The 50 mm f/2.8N version is rated for 2X to 20X. The 40 mm lens gives greater magnification than the 50 mm lens for the available projection distance.

For example, for a 600 mm distance from the negative to the image, the 50 mm f/2.8N gives 9.6X. The 40mm f/4N gives 12.7X.

I see no corner cutoff with this lens wide open at any magnification I’ve used. Per the data sheet as given in post #2, it should “see” a circle of 43.2 mm (the diagonal of the 24 mm x 36 mm frame of a standard 35 mm format) up to 30X. I’ve used mine up to 22X, usually at an f/5.6 aperture.

Neal · Feb 25, 2023

Works great. Use it without fear.

xkaes · Feb 25, 2023

There are several 40mm (wide-angle) enlarging lenses for full-frame 35mm, such as Bogen, Hoya, Yashica, & Osawa Tominon.

There are even more 38mm (wide-angle) enlarging lenses for full-frame 35mm, such as Fujinin-EP, Beslar (from Beseler), Dyotar, Jessop, Durst (from Schneider), & E-Lucky (from Fujimoto).

There's even the amazing 30mm (wide-angle) enlarging lens for full-frame 35mm from Computar (also sold by Kowa).

All of the in-depth reviews of these lenses mention that they have more light fall-off when compared to longer lenses -- just like with regular camera lenses. But stopping down not only eliminates the fall-off problem, you should be stopping down to get better resolution -- just like with regular camera lenses.

redbandit · Mar 4, 2023

What exactly are the limitations to use these lenses, in regards to condenser or diffusion set up for the enlarger light source?

Randy Stewart · Mar 22, 2023

Diffusion light sources will work the same regardless of format size. So long as the light is of even intensity, the focal length of the lens should make no difference. Condenser light systems focus the light source through the negative, so the effective focal length requirement of the condenser system differs with the focal length of the enlarging lens, as a technical matter. In usage, the difference in focal length of a lens between 50mm and 40mm is not likely to make any difference in the evenness of light coverage for a 35mm format using 50mm rated condensers, but only experience will tell. By the way, "Computar" is the trade name used by Kowa for its excellent enlarging lenses. Sort of like "Componon" used by Schneider.

redbandit · Mar 24, 2023

Randy Stewart said:
Diffusion light sources will work the same regardless of format size. So long as the light is of even intensity, the focal length of the lens should make no difference. Condenser light systems focus the light source through the negative, so the effective focal length requirement of the condenser system differs with the focal length of the enlarging lens, as a technical matter. In usage, the difference in focal length of a lens between 50mm and 40mm is not likely to make any difference in the evenness of light coverage for a 35mm format using 50mm rated condensers, but only experience will tell. By the way, "Computar" is the trade name used by Kowa for its excellent enlarging lenses. Sort of like "Componon" used by Schneider.

heres a question... or two...

I emailed Schiender Customer service about this... and after two days their reply was "ask the internet forums".. guess they dont know much about their own products anymore...

SO as a person running a condenser system..

1. the light is being focused through the negative itself.
2. IF i switch the enlarger head from 35mm mode to 2x2 mode... increasing the distance between the light and the negative...
WILL that allow proper use of a sub 50mm lens so as to make a decent enlargement of OVER 10x magnification?

Randy Stewart · Mar 28, 2023

The focal length of the condenser system impacts the evenness of the light over a a given negative area. It will not effect the sharpness of the image projected by the lens or the capacity of the lens to enlarge to a larger or smaller magnification at a given image quality. so your second question doesn't compute. Apart from evenness of illumination, the only other impact of changing from a 35mm to 6x6cm format condenser set would be that since the medium format condenser is spreading the same light over a larger area, the effective illumination will be significantly dimmer. Matching the condenser set to a particular lens focal length is hardly an exact science in practice. Just try the 50mm lens condenser.

Using Nikon 40mm lens for 35mm full frame

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